We needed to get an early start this morning because we had a drive to the Golden Circle in our plans so we were up at 6:30 AM. A light dusting of snow had fallen overnight as we made our way from our hotel and drove off towards the Golden Circle but the roads were clear of any snow.
Our first stop was a basaltic rock mountain outside Stykkishólmur. Helgafell is a famous and ancient ground featured in some ancient Icelandic stories. The weather was not conducive this time of year for the hike to the top where one should walk in silence without looking back and then make three wishes when they reach the top of the mountain while looking east.
After a little detour, we made our way to Þingvellir National Park. Apple Maps led us astray again but we were able to turn around and make our way t to the Visitor Center. Our original plan was to do some hiking and go out to the "law rock" where Iceland's first general assembly was established around 930 AD. But the paths around the visitor center were icy and we did not think it was a good idea to do much hiking. The exhibition did not look very interesting so we decided to do a short hike to the observation platform and then partway down the rock cravass before heading back to the car.
We made a short drive to Laugarvatn, a small village by the lake of the same name, best known for the Fontana Geothermal Spa. We arrived early so J. R. walked down to the lake to view the geothermal springs before our planned Geothermal Bakery experience.
The organization here was a bit spotty as we arrived 15 minutes early as requested and were asked to take a seat and wait. A group came in and we were all told to come up and see the demonstration of bread being cut and were offered rye bread and trout. But it turns out this was a private group that had come in and the group that was supposed to join us was 10 minutes late. They finally arrived and we were walked out to near the lake. The bread is formed using a traditional recipe, and then is placed in the warm ground over a bubbling spring and baked for 24 hours. Our host dug the fresh bread from the sand and buried a new one for the next day before washing off the pan in the lake. Due to the disorganization, we ended up being able to taste the bread twice, along with hot tea and coffee.
Our next stop was Geysir, just north of Laugarvatn. The geothermal area takes its name from the Geysir Hot Spring, which was once one of the most impressive geysers in the world. Although Geysir now erupts infrequently, it gave rise to the word "geyser" and lends its name to the region. While Geysir is currently inactive, the nearby Strokkur erupts every four to ten minutes, shooting boiling water 50 to 65 feet into the air as high as 131 feet. We were able to see Strokkur erupt a few times while we were there.
The weather was warm and sunny as we approached Gullfoss, or the "Golden Waterfall". It is said a Viking tipped his riches into the plunge pool at the base of Gullfoss to prevent anyone else getting their hands on his gold, and so the falls were named "golden" as a result. Another legend says the waterfall is named after the rainbows and golden mist surrounding it, after the traditional Celtic myth that there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. The most likely origin of the name is simply that the water seems to shimmer golden when the sunlight hits it, due to the glacial sediment carried down the river.
As we drove to our next destination, we made a slight detour as we saw an "open to the public" sign at Brú Horse Farm, which was had a parking lot where we were able to stop and see Icelandic horses. They even had a self-service station to buy treats for the horses.
The horse farm was not our only encounter with Icelandic horses today as we stopped at the Ölfusá Overlook for some beautiful views of the Ölfusá river and had a group of horses come right up to us, looking for the food they likely receive from humans here all the time.
We drove south of our hotel in search of dinner since all we had eaten today was bread and trout at the bakery. After the first of a few Apple Maps wrong directions, we found the The Old Dairy in Selfoss. Janie was interested in dim sum so we stopped at Menam Thai in the food hall. This was a mistake as the gyosas were not good and the chicken noodle pad thai bowl was unappetizing and it definitely was not dim sum as advertised. This was definitely our worst meal of the whole trip and one of the only bad meals we would have.
After the disappointment of dinner, we returned north to our hotel for the night, Hotel Grimsborgir. We parked at the main building and checked in and happy hour was going on so we went to the restaurant for a wine and beer before driving to our building. There were two hot tubs right outside the building and although the wind was kicking up, we spent a little time in one of those before heading into the room. The TV did not work and J. R. saw the power cord was ziptied. He cut it loose and plugged it in but it still did not come on so we called the front desk. The clerk drove over and checked the batteries in the remote and realized there was no extension cord. She was going to go back and get one, but first started flipping switches in the room and we learned the outlet near the TV was powered by a switch near the bed. The room was spacious and had a balcony overlooking the mountains but it would be too cloudy for more northern lights tonight.
